The Ileach – November

Ileach Single Malt Scotch

This month’s scotch selection was proved to have a greater level of difficulty than those past. I generally choose the month’s scotch from a single merchant. This month, however, there didn’t seem to be much selection in reasonably priced bottles that I hadn’t already sampled. As nothing caught my eye, I went to a new vendor and purchased a bottle of The Ileach Islay single malt scotch whiskey for around $50 CDN.

What really caught my attention was the label. On the front of the bottle, in capital letters is the word “PEATY”.

“The Man From Islay” is subtitled on on the label here, which starts to make sense after tasting this malt. It’s a classic light amber, peaty malt, unapologetically rough around the edges and everything that you would expect a blue collar Islay man to sit down and enjoy after a hard days work.

The nose is strong and unmistakably peat rich with a sherry tone. That’s it. It’s simple and to the point.

In the palate again the peat comes to the front, than subsides slightly to reveal a bitter yet fruity flavour. You can really feel this malt on your tougue. It leaves you with a tingling numbness that enhances the finish.

The finish, for me is as memorable as the palate. It’s very long lasting ot say the least. A sweetness that didn’t appear before comes to light and the peat returns, more subdued than before. The taste really comes together in the finish which is very pleasant.

There is no information about the age of this scotch, but from comments I’ve read, it’s really quite young, which may contribute to the strength and simplicities found in this bottle. It’s bottled by The Highlands and Islands Scotch Whiskey Company. I’ve also read speculation that The Ileach, along with the Ileach the Dun Bheagan, may be a young Lagavulin.

At any rate, I like this scotch for what it is; a strong, peaty unapologetic malt.

If you have tried this scotch, please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of it!

8 thoughts on “The Ileach – November”

I purchased a bottle of Ileach “Peaty” and agree with all of your tasting notes. However, after tasting it, it reminded me of Laphroaig 10 year old without the 10 year old depth of flavor. I found the whisky at an outlet in Halifax, Nova Scotia for $44.00 which is very good value for that quality of malt.
If you read this and have the time to answer: could you tell me what companies like Highlands and Islands Scotch Whisky are doing bottling these “No Name” single malts. I have recently had a whisky bottled as Cooper’s Choice which was LaPhroaig 10 yr.old under this branding.

Thank-you for your comments and notes. I did find it interesting that this single malt had a bottling company rather than a distillery. I’ve typed up an article on what I know and have contacted the Highlands and Islands Scotch Whisky Company to see if I can get a definitive answer on this. Check out my article here: http://www.scotchofthemonthclub.com/?p=475

I received a bottle of Ileach for X-mas. Tried it, but the smell and taste of gasoline fuel made me nauseous from it. My boyfriend couldn’t stomach it either. So we tried to dilute a ltite in Eggnog, tasted disgusting…threw that on out : (
Now, in a last ditch attempt I am trying to salvage this gift by possibly find a recipe for its use…any suggestions? I can’t seem to find any on the net. And i’m not sure I’d want to risk it in a baked apple or bread pudding sauce…but maybe smoked ribs?

Hi SctochLove. Came across this sight when I searched for some malts Blue Label included. I knew one of them they have taken out in some years was the Lagavulin. Anyway, was wondering if you think this Ileach is very similur to taste of the Lagavulin 16y ?

I have heard comments from friends about Lagavulin tasting like a band-aid, or some medicine or something. but somehow I know what they are referring to but it doesn’t for a minute bother me. Strange this block some have, while others don’t. I would love to hear more about your experiences. Cheers!